A decade ago, CPAC had about 3,000 attendees, some vendors, and little to no media attention.   The conservative establishment has come a long way in the past decade and now has an influence far beyond the Beltway, inspiring a reinvigorated troop of grassroots activists.  This year there were over 10,000 attendees; about 150 sponsors and vendors, many representing the growing number of conservative non-profits; thousands of bloggers, writers and media; and even a smattering of Occupy DC protesters. The massive turnout meant no parking in the area, long registration lines, and crammed viewing rooms for the hundreds unable to fit in the ballroom for the keynote speeches.

I was joined by two of my younger colleagues and felt for them as they politely listened to my political war stories, inspired by memories of two current Republican presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.  These presidential candidates were new upstarts shaking up the 40 year Democratic majority when I arrived in DC over 20 years ago.  While these two candidates could be considered Washington insiders, the conservative Washington establishment seemed to be firmly behind the outside-the-beltway former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney.  A large number of the CPAC speakers were supporters of Romney and he won the CPAC straw poll for the fourth time. 

This year CPAC modernized their straw poll — rather than using paper ballots, voting was done online with an individualized code received at registration.  They also simultaneously conducted a nationwide phone survey of conservatives across the country.  Those in attendance at CPAC – many among the DC conservative elite – gave Romney a decisive win, 38% to 31% for Santorum and 15% for Gingrich.  Yet the phone survey gave Romney only a two-point advantage over Santorum. 

One thing is for sure, conservatives would love to see U.S. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida as the Vice Presidential nominee.  Rubio was the overwhelming choice among the 10 candidates listed on the straw poll.  When he spoke, the room was packed and he received numerous standing ovations. 

The biggest crowd pleasers of the three days were Ann Coulter, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin – all three serving up red meat to the conservative crowd.  While the presidential candidates had huge crowds and much enthusiasm for their remarks, conservatives here seemed to coalesce, not around one of the candidates, but around the defeat of President Obama.  And the two issues that consistently received standing ovations were ending President Obama’s health care plan and reducing the size and reach of the federal government — exemplified by the frequent references to the hot debate about the new federal mandate that religious institutions may not opt out of paying for their employee’s contraception.   As the former Baptist minister Mike Huckabee said, “We’re all Catholics now.”

The conservative movement is growing and prospering.  Judging from the huge number of students and grassroots volunteers in attendance at CPAC; it isn’t going away anytime soon, despite the predictions (and hopes) of many on the opposing side.

The President’s 2013 budget continues to push a government strategy of  “pursuing all options“ as he likes to say in his stump speech.  From early investments in hydraulic fracturing which has helped drive a natural gas boom in the United States to highly visible investments in alternatives to oil and gas, Obama is doubling down on America’s energy future.

“I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany,” he declared in his January State of the Union.

The President is on to something with this rallying cry.  The energy debate – more specifically the role of government in energy incentives, R&D and regulation – has typically been driven as much by geopolitics as party politics.  But a recent report issued by Third Way suggests that even swing voters in traditional energy states like North Carolina and Ohio want to get America running on clean energy.

There are several ways to talk about investments in energy that the Administration should consider as it attempts to rally Americans to lead the race, according to Third Way:

• Focus on long-term economic growth potential and the consequences of inaction. People don’t find short-term job creation plausible.
• Tap into concerns about pollution and the strong desire to eliminate coal. Focusing heavily on climate change is not persuasive.
• Describe a vision of government as a facilitator for the private sector. People are skeptical about direct government spending.

Recent proposals to modernize U.S. energy policy have failed.  And little action is likely to occur legislatively this presidential election year.  But 2013 is just around the corner and the stars could and should align.  The business and the environmental communities should both take note.  It seems the people are ready.  The time has come to find common ground and communicating effectively with the most influential stakeholders  - the American voters – will be critical to success for all parties.

As the 2012 election marches on, the focus will increasingly turn to the Republican and Democratic Political Conventions scheduled for late August/early September.  While frequently cast as political “parties,” my experience attending numerous of these events is that they are actually serious business opportunities and should be planned for accordingly.

If you have a public affairs agenda, there is no better time than the Conventions to engage with policymakers and thought leaders to advance your positions and highlight your reputation. As you plan your strategy for engaging at the conventions, there are several things to consider to best maximize your company’s impact.

Be Relevant to the National Conversation

This year’s conventions, to be held in Tampa and Charlotte, may bring together representatives from different ends of the ideological spectrum.  But there will be one common topic of conversation – creating American jobs. Tailoring your message and activities to this national conversation is essential.  Whether you are primarily interested in education, financial services, energy, trade, immigration or any other of the many issues that face elected officials,  how your proposed agenda can support job creation will be critical to address.

Demonstrate Your Values

Finding ways to build visibility for your brand at the convention are limitless. From the airport to the front steps of the Convention halls, there are thousands of opportunities to get your name in front of the people who are attending the convention.  But consider making the investment in a more meaningful engagement with convention-goers.  Thought leadership discussions and keynoted hospitality events are a more strategic way to connect with your stakeholders.  Consider demonstrating your commitment to community service and citizenship through volunteer or philanthropic activities.  These serve the dual role of providing opportunities to bring employees into your activities while highlighting your organization’s values.

Go Mobile or Go Home

While the traditional media are in force at Conventions, online and social media allow the opportunity to promote your public affairs agenda well beyond Tampa and Charlotte.  As we began to see in 2008, blogs, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook will be active with conversation and sharing.   Monitoring these platforms as well as engaging in a way that aligns with your overall communications strategy will allow you to have an appropriate place in that conversation.

One final thought.  Conventions are networking on steroids – there is no better time to re-connect with colleagues, meet new people and advance your agenda.  Take it from a Convention veteran – wear comfortable shoes.

First, the results:

• Romney: 30,015 votes – 25 percent
• Santorum: 30,007 votes – 25 percent
• Paul: 26,219 votes – 22 percent
• Gingrich: 16,251 votes – 14 percent
• Perry: 12,604 votes – 11 percent
• Bachmann: 6,073 votes – 5 percent
• Huntsman: 745 votes – 1 percent

And now, and perhaps more important than the results themselves, come the consequences of these results. Before the Iowa caucuses, it’s like the NFL preseason. You try to predict what your team is going to do based on how they look on paper; you look at stats, player performances, team chemistry, coaches, and you hope and dream about meeting expectations or beating them. Now that the Iowa caucuses are in the rearview mirror, we’ve officially entered the regular season — and all of those preseason expectations get put to the test. (And you Perry supporters now appreciate what it’s like to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan when it comes to the disappointment between how you look on paper and how you perform in the regular season.)

The caucuses give everyone a chance to see how individual candidates perform in an actual election — not a debate, a straw poll, an interview, or fundraising, but a real world exercise — to prove who can bring people to the polls. Watching this most closely, of course, are the media, political junkies, and especially the candidates themselves and their political operatives.

The results of the caucuses give the campaigns the first chance to probe the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, to “review the game film,” in NFL parlance. Unlike the NFL, where teams play a different team almost every week, these candidates will go head-to-head with each other perhaps through the summer. The formidable operatives working for each candidate will go right to work to exploit their weaknesses and co-opt the strengths of their opponents and all of them will attack the leader.

And the macro result from tonight’s vote is straightforward: Mitt Romney is the clear and legitimate front-runner — still. The bad news for team Romney is after millions of dollars, hours and efforts, there is no bump, wave or breakout for Romney after finishing first — still. Just one-quarter of Iowa voters actually supported him; in fact, ABC News reports that he gained just three votes over his 2008 total. Santorum is clearly the latest “anyone but Romney” candidate, and Paul has proven once again that he can turn out the Iowa voters but has yet to demonstrate any ability beyond Iowa.

For Romney’s opponents, the consequence is they are back at the beginning. The state of play is in some ways unchanged since the first Republican debate on May 5, 2011. All the candidates are going to be focused on breaking down Mitt Romney as the contest rolls forward.

So here is the big problem for Romney, and the Republicans: Romney has to fight a four-front war. The first front is the next stop on the primary trail, New Hampshire, where he is almost already the presumed winner and will get zero credit when he does win. In fact, if Santorum moves out of single digits (he’s currently polling at 6 percent, but can obviously expect momentum coming out of Iowa), it could be framed as another symbolic victory for his campaign. (Think about Bill Clinton’s “comeback kid” performance in 1992.) The other Republicans can attack Romney at will in New Hampshire; in fact, most of the remaining field (with the exception of ultra long shot Jon Huntsman) has effectively conceded the state to Romney so they can attack with nothing to lose.

Second front: South Carolina. Santorum, Gingrich, and others in the race will hit hard on Romney’s record as a moderate, health care providing abortion-on-demand flip flopper. (Political veterans will remember the similar strategy that Bush the 2nd deployed with success against Senator McCain in South Carolina in 2000.)

The third front is the Obama campaign, which will continue its hyper-focused daily and highly effective assault on Romney’s record.

The fourth front may be the most exciting to watch and in some ways the most consequential: it is the angry Newt Gingrich. Former Speaker Gingrich had the lead in Iowa only 30 days ago, but the first onslaught of Super PAC money from Romney cronies did him in; at least, that’s what he believes. On CBS the morning of the caucuses, Gingrich unequivocally called Romney “a liar,” and his campaign told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell that Romney can expect to have a target on his back in New Hampshire. His speech in Iowa last night showed every sign that he plans to turn into a man on a mission and open up a “can of whoop ass” to undo Romney. He will have plenty of chances, including paid advertising, free media and six live debates between today and the voting in South Carolina. The Republican front runner is about to feel the wrath of the attack dog his own party cultivated in the 1980′s and 90′s. So much for the Reagan Doctrine of never speaking ill of another Republican.

Will Romney be able to conduct a campaign fighting on four fronts, and ultimately take the presidency? I don’t think so. Let’s see if he can take a punch as well as his “independent” Super PAC can throw one.

Tonight at 7pm CST, there will be 1,774 meetings of Iowa Republicans covering 99 counties across the state.  These local meetings will consist of neighbors and friends — in most cases, everyone will know everyone.  Some meetings may have as little as 50 people and some may have as many as 300 or so.  Each individual will ultimately cast a vote for the candidate of their choice but they will first have a discussion (or maybe even an argument or two).  A candidate can spend as much money on TV as he or she wants to leading up to today (and believe me….there has been a lot spent) but their fate will ultimately come down to a good old-fashioned town hall meeting where voters can still easily be influenced by their peers.

The last 24 hours have been some of the most interesting in my career.  The excitement and anticipation across this state, and especially in Des Moines, truly has a “Wizard of Oz” feel. In Des Moines, you can’t walk one block without bumping into a celebrity-level member of the media and, in many small towns around the state, it is like the circus is coming to town when one of the candidates pulls up in their decorated campaign bus with a large entourage of media in tow.

Last night, I decided that I really wanted to get outside the walls of Des Moines and get a feel of the current emotions in these smaller communities by attending a couple of campaign events.  I first made my way out to Perry (about an hour from Des Moines) to observe a highly organized rally for Rick Perry.  Yes…Perry was Perry.  The event was held in a very old and historic hotel that sat in the center of town.  The whole scene reminded me of a town used for a movie set at Universal Studios. After some good live country music to get the crowd going, Governor Perry made his way to the stage and gave the best campaign speech I have heard by any candidate to this point. I was stunned and kept thinking: “where has this been?” And then I mumbled to myself, “too little too late.”  I then made my way to Urbandale, a town on the other side of Des Moines, to attend a Mitt Romney rally.  Well, the turnout was so big that the closest parking spot was six blocks away.  On top of that, there were at least 40 tv cameras perched on risers inside the event.  It had the smell of a coronation to come and certainly had the signs of a campaign with a ton of momentum.  Senator John Thune (hopefully a candidate for President in 2012) got the crowd fired up and then introduced the candidate.  Romney was Romney.  A little starchy but seemed to have a command of his surroundings.  What struck me the most was that every recognizable political media personality had made a point of attending this event.  It was clear they sensed the momentum and wanted to see it firsthand.

While the Caucus process is supposed to be very “human” and “old school”, there is one element this year that is extremely prevalent and powerful:  social media.  I am brand new to the social media world.  My New Year’s resolution was to enter this world and use my time in Iowa as the entry point.  To say I have been overwhelmed by the force of this ever-growing and changing medium is a major understatement.  No matter where you look, everyone out here (and I mean everyone) is using Twitter.  There has not been anything else close to this resource for real-time, up to the second information about candidates, their campaigns, or breaking news.  What is even more amazing is how the mainstream media is using it through their personalities.  The fact that David Gregory is literally tweeting about a conversation he is having with a candidate while he is having it reinforces not only the presence of this communication medium but, more importantly, that you will always be one step behind if you are not utilizing this resource.  Last night a reporter was at a bar in Des Moines and, within seconds of overhearing Governor Brandstad tell someone he considered Romney the best candidate, it was tweeted out to thousands of people.  This was newsworthy because the Governor is not endorsing anyone but he has tremendous influence throughout the state with voters.  That tweet will have an impact today.

I am going to sign off for now and head back to the media center and try to scrounge up some more opportunities to do the talking head thing (will actually be on FOX Business at 5:30 EST by the way), but will post a blog for sure tomorrow with thoughts and observations on the results and what folks here are saying about what these results will mean for the GOP going forward.  Until then, please follow me on Twitter (@treyhardin16) for regular updates.  I will be tweeting often throughout the day and night on key developments and timely information.  Thanks.

Trey Hardin

I have been on the ground in Des Moines now for about six hours.  And, while I have not yet had the pleasure of interacting with actual Caucus goers, I have connected with some embedded members of the media and spent some time at the state GOP headquarters.  What I have been moved by is that, to a person, no one has a feel for who is going to win this thing — which is unusual two days out.  A reporter friend of mine, who has covered many Iowa Caucuses, told me that he has never seen Iowa Republicans more confused or uncertain about what they are going to do when they show up to their Caucus meetings on Tuesday at 7pm.  After hearing this, I went back to my hotel room to do a deeper dive on the results of the most recent Des Moines Register poll that came out last night (http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/31/romney-leads-paul-in-new-des-moines-register-iowa-poll-santorum-surging/) — a poll that has historically been consistent with the final election results.  What strikes me is that there seems to be some shifts in voter priorites.  Though typically driven by “values voters”, this year’s Caucus seems to have larger group of participants putting a greater emphasis on the economy and electability. That’s not to say there isn’t a segment that is determined to prevent a Romney victory.  However, the numbers seem to represent reconsideration among many traditional Caucus goers who see a window of opportunity in the general election that includes Obama’s vulnerability with independants who voted for him in ’08 along with a message void to be filled on economic policy.  This shift has most certainly driven Romney advisers to keep him in the state for the next three days rather than pounding the pavement in New Hampshire — as was originally planned.  It has also validated the significant tv ad buy Romney has made over the last few weeks — an amount that has never been seen in previous Iowa Caucuses.

There was something else that caught my attention today when I joined Iowa GOP Chairman, Matt Strawn, on a walk-thru of the Caucus media center. The entire set-up is being sponsored primarily by Google and, to say they went all out, doesn’t do it justice. What is interesting about this is that Google has recently made a concerted effort to beef up its Washington, DC presence and political engagement.  This sponsorship is certainly consistent with that new initiative and is a reminder that, no matter how successful a business or industry is, it realizes it is never out of the view of the federal government (i.e., Microsoft in the early 90′s).  It is important to point out that this media center is for coverage of both the Republicans and Democrats on Caucus night (the Democrats technically Cacucus eventhough they already have their nominee).

Tomorrow is sure to be an educational and insightful day on the eve of Caucus night. I will be working closely with party officials on the operational and communication elements as well as making some media appearances myself (MSNBC Live at 11:30 EST and a CNBC online interview). Please look for my day 2 blog post tomorrow evening but, in the meantime, follow me on Twitter (@treyhardin16) for realtime observations and developments.  Thank you.

Trey Hardin

Across America, cities such as Boston, Charlotte, Indianapolis and Seattle, are taking a chapter out of business’ playbook to develop their own sustainability strategies. These activities include: 

1. Surveying other local government efforts to identify best practices
2. Involving all aspects of a city’s administration in the development and planning
3. Identifying the most significant risks and opportunities to better align limited resources
4. Establishing a set of programs and initiatives that play to a city’s unique strengths and characteristics
5. Creating opportunities to engage key stakeholders from the local business, civic and NGO communities
6. Developing a framework to measure progress and success

Recently, I was invited to bring our experience working with corporate sustainability planning to the city of St. Louis, MO as they begin developing a local sustainability strategy.  On December 6, the Mayor’s Sustainability Officer convened the first of three summits–a two-day citywide meeting that brought in about 100 sustainability practitioners to review the initial steps the city has taken to develop its sustainability strategy. The Mayor’s entire Cabinet and all department heads also attended.

In preparation for the summit, the city benchmarked the approach of several other local governments ranging from “triple bottom line” to “advanced land use” to determine which framework would work best for St. Louis. 

City department heads had also conducted an internal review of all individual initiatives underway and analyzed the city’s first ever greenhouse gas inventory. These efforts provided a baseline from which to start and they used this information to identify seven broad focus areas that would provide the framework to develop the overall sustainability strategy for the city. 

This is an ambitious effort and the City of St. Louis will need to address some significant challenges—particularly being able to promote the region as a magnet for innovation and a green collar job base, when its public school system graduates less than half of its students.  But the initiative represents a bold step by a city to better position itself for the future. 

Who knows? If St. Louis succeeds in transforming its economy, its traditional nickname of “Gateway to the West” might be replaced with “Greenway to the West.” Their efforts could provide a roadmap for other Rust Belt cities to explore the possibilities of a new frontier.

Early reports in the wee morning hours were dim, but as the morning sun began to rise, news reports looked a bit more hopeful.  While the typical stories of shoppers gone mad dominated the online headlines, the 16% increase in sales over 2010 are a good sign for the White House.

The measure of consumer spending as a sign of an improved economy is, however, an unfortunate indicator.  At a time when our nation is deep in debt, as are our citizens, do we really need to scramble on top of one another to grab the latest game console like savages?  Spending has become synonymous with “good economy.”  But a sustainable economy should emphasize rational spending and even some serious savings.

One can argue that Black Friday is indeed about savings, and I’ll buy that to a point. But just once, I’d love to see a presidential candidate come out on Thanksgiving and encourage everyone to “sleep in” the next day, as opposed to racing to the big box stores fighting for parking spots and a place in line.  Get some real exercise (not the kind where you run down the aisles) to shake off the extra calories heaped on during the holidays; spend time with family discussing how we can do more with less as a society – because that is the reality we live in.

Instead of waiting on a presidential candidate to emerge with all the solutions, we must take personal responsibility for our health, our pocket books, our neighborhoods and our future.  My husband says, gleefully, I sound like a Republican.  But I call this Sound Citizenship – something neither of the parties has yet grasped.

VOX Sponsors Congressional Football Game

VOX Global is honored to serve once again on the Organizing Committee for this year’s Congressional Football Game for Charity.  This year’s game presented by Boeing and NFL will take place on November 2, 2011 at the Watkins Recreation Center, 420 12th Street, SE.  Tickets are available for purchase at www.congressioonalfootballgame.org, and proceeds will benefit the Capitol Police Memorial Fund and Our Military Kids.

In 2009 the congressional squad, led by Representative Heath Shuler, won a hard-fought match against a team of Capitol Hill Police playmakers, led by Captain Jim Davis.  This year’s game teams up Members of Congress and former NFL stars and including: John Fitzgerald Booty, Kenneth Harvey, and Reps. Bill Shuster, Heath Shuler, and Jon Runyan.

Will the Members be able to defend their title or will the Capitol Hill Police squad recapture their former glory?

I got busy employing Facebook, Twitter, and my email network, as well as the Virgin on-board chat system.  My fellow Voxer Channing created a #stopbullying hashtag and we took advantage of the Trending Topic #IfTwitterWereHighSchool.  I also reached out to VOX friends at the American School Counselor Association and the PBS This Emotional Life community. 

This effort started at 8:30 am EST while most of my network on the East Coast are en route to work or taking their kids to school. By about 10:30 EST, the challenge was met! More than 100 had committed to be part of the effort to stop bullying, a behavior that tragically threatens lives across all ages.  From Row 25 of Flight # 67, we were able to get people to take a moment before diving into their day and think about how they might make a difference in combating this preventable illness of society.

It’s not too late to participate – go to http://www.facebook.com/stopbullyingspeakup  and take the pledge.  And next time you want to get the word out fast and wide about a good cause, DM me on Twitter @AnnEDavison!